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>> and now, bbc world news america. >> this is bbc world news america, reporting from washington, i'm kathy kaye. more bodies found executed in syria. the killings have sparked outrage around the world and calls for intervention on capitol hill. >> there is no doubt in my mind that action is necessary now. the united states needs to be a part of it. >> liberia's former president gets a 50-year sentence for war crimes described as some of the most heinous in history. and greenback the bookstore -- bringing back the bookstore, one well-known author is stocking the shelves in hopes of bringing back the written page. welcome to our viewers on pbs in

america and elsewhere around the world. tonight, fresh evidence of the breach in the u.n. broken cease- fire in syria. 13 bodies, apparently executed, were found in the eastern part of the country. the killings were discovered that even as the u.n. security council held a closed meeting on last week's massacre that left more than 100 dead and sparked widespread condemnation of the assad regime. >> another mass killing. the commander of the u.s. observer team in syria, general mahmoud, said the bodies of the 13 men with hallett -- with hands bound were found shot dead on tuesday. he calls the appalling and inexcusable. it is the second time in less than a week that the u.n. monitors have validated the claims and videos put out by activists. much more rich it was the

masters -- the massacre last week, which -- much more horrific was the massacre last week, which continues to reverberate around the world. all parties agree there should be an impartial u.n.-led investigation into what happened and who is responsible. deputy has told the security council that there are grave doubts about the plan and the actions are also slight. >> and that is, indeed, the worse case, which unfortunately seems to be most probable, that is, the violence escalates, the conflict spread, and the tensions intensified and reach a higher degree of severity involving other countries in the region, it takes on increasingly sectarian forms, and we have a major crisis not only in syria, but in the region. gregg's u.n. ambassador's admit that al qaeda or similar -- >>

u.n. ambassador is admit that al qaeda or similar extremists are at work in syria. but you cannot blame all of the government's problems on terrorism. >> the third element, the armed terrorist groups, something that we have been trying to explain for almost a year. >> the warning signs are all too clear. this is a suburb northeast of damascus where activists as a at least six have been killed since the kofi annan visit. also in the damascus suburbs, this unusual footage was apparently leaked to activist, showing what appeared to be security forces ransacking a house where a rebel flag was found. activists routinely report that ransacking and looting happen in areas that come under army attack. and the suspicions of summary

execution are happening as well. it will be difficult to pull the country back from the brink of civil war. >> in light of the continuing violence in syria, some lawmakers have urged for some type of intervention. among them is democratic congressman keith ellison. i spoke to him a short time ago from capitol hill. congressman, the leaders in the u.s. have been discussing kofi annan's peace plan. do you think that has failed? >> yes, i do. i admire the effort he has made, but it is clear after the massacre last week that the effort has to be described as unsuccessful. if they are going to stick with this plan, they must dramatically increase the number of monitors. it cannot be 300. it has to be somewhere in the four digits so they can adequately cover the country and report back on whatever

atrocities or violations of human rights they see. >> you have called on the international community to be far more robust in what it is doing in syria. >> yes. >> what exactly do you think they should be doing? >> i think we should have an internationally supported safe zone in turkey in cooperation with the turkish government. i think we should move forward without the support of iran and china if we cannot secure their support. we need to create a safe zone that needs to be protected with military force if necessary. >> what happens if the syrians decide to violate that safe zone and fire on, for example, american planes or american military? what would happen then? what would be the response? >> i think it should be protected with all proportion and means. and that includes military means.

the syrian government should not get the impression that they can attack plane civilians or a safe zone established by the international community. that is a perilous thing for them to do. that should be clear. >> the united states is trying to get itself out of two wars in that region. there is no appetite in this country for more conflict in the middle east. >> i'm sorry, but you are visible fact of innocent people being slaughtered. estimates vary, but we have seen thousands, maybe more. action needs to be taken. >> including the united states? >> yes, there is an important role the united states can play. there is a lot that the united states can do to carry off this safe zone idea. the u.s. has an important role to play. the international community can talk about how to divvy up responsibility. there are a lot of questions, but actions are necessary now.

>> and of the united stock -- and syria did fire on -- if syria did fire on u.s. forces or on their planes, then you would have to be prepared to retaliate. >> yes, we would. >> 50 years in jail, that was the sentence handed down today for the former president of liberia, charles taylor, by a special court in the hague. he was convicted last month on 11 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity for fueling the war in neighboring sierra leone. the judge described his cries as some of the most heinous in human history. >> the case of the prosecutor. >> when charles taylor arrived in court, he knew there was no precedent in modern times for

sentencing a former head of state at an international tribunal. but if mr. taylor of that would help him, he was wrong. >> it shows the gravity it attaches to his betrayal of public trust. mr. taylor's betrayal out ways the distinction that might otherwise be obtained as the leader of liberia. >> the judge was actually saying that because he had been a powerful man in west africa he should have shown more responsibility. >> mr. taylor, for the foregoing reasons, the trial chamber unanimously sentences you to a single term of imprisonment of 50 years. >> the court reminded the world of some of the atrocities committed by the rebels mr. taylor had back in sierra leone. the capital was invaded. the hallmark of the rebels was hacking off people's limbs as a

terrible warning to anyone who oppose them and support of the elected government of the day. there are scars, the judge said, that will never heal. >> the long-term impact on their lives is devastating. ntt's without arms who now have to live on charity -- amputees without arms to have to live on charity because they cannot work any longer. young girls who have been publicly stigmatize and it will not recover from the trauma of rape and sexual slavery for to which they were subjected. >> mr. taylor could only sit and listen. his defense team never denied that awful crimes were committed in sierra leone. at issue, they said, was whether mr. taylor directed them. the defense said it was always a political theater. that was an argument that the judge rejected. the stories of the victims would be told.

and the man they found responsible for their plight was there to hear them. >> now to a -- another twist in the case of a pakistani doctor that helps track down osama bin laden. last week, he was jailed for 33 years in pakistan, initially thought because he helped america. now pakistan says it is because he is linked to a militant group. which is it? >> the central jail, home to the doctor. it has now emerged as are the that he has been convicted of robbing the cia find bin laden, but for supposedly -- of helping the cia find bin laden, but for supposedly having links to a terrorist group. his family has been silent since he was arrested. his wife and three children are

in hiding. but his brother agreed to meet us in his lawyer's office. he is now speaking out, though he says government officials warned relatives to keep quiet. >> they told all of the family members not to say anything to the media, or it could endanger the doctor. but now he has been sentenced. we have to ask for justice. >> officials submit -- admit the doctor may not be free in jail. the taliban have vowed to kill him. his brother is worried for his life, as well as his own. >> something could happen to me at any time. i could be picked up and taken away. i could be made to suffer some mishap. >> the doctor was originally detained after allegations that he tried to get dna samples from bin laden's compound for the

cia. washington says he was instrumental in taking down the al qaeda leader and wants him released. pakistan says he will be staying in jail. >> the decision is by a vote, not by the government of pakistan. according to any standards, according to law, he has to undergo the conviction. >> of that conviction is unjust, his lawyers say. but there is literate -- little sympathy year for the jailed dr.. >> he may be seen as a hero in washington, but on the street you will find a very different view. to many pakistani, america is not an ally, but an enemy. and assisting the cia, even to bring down bin laden, is seen as the train pakistan. pakistan has yet to charge anyone with helping the al

qaeda leader during his long stay here. >> another sign of tension between pakistan and america. in other news, the supreme court in london has approved the extradition of julian assange, founder of the wiki-leaks web site. he faces rape allegations in sweden. a majority judge dismissed an appeal by mr. assange. they may send him to the u.s. for publishing -- to stand trial for publishing leaked u.s. documents. for the first time in a quarter- century, aung san suu kyi spent the day outside the prison. speaking to thousands of migrants, she promised to try to do our best for them. here is a report from thailand. >> after an historic first night parade, there was no chance that

aung san suu kyi would feel one said. thousands of burmese packed into the narrow streets for the chance to see a woman who is lonely defiance inspired so many. >> this is the first morning that aung san suu kyi has spent outside burma in 24 years. it is typical of the woman that she decided to spend it here, among burmese migrant workers. >> inside, she spoke with a few of the several million berbice migrant workers who live in thailand. their use as cheap -- burmese migrant workers who live in thailand. they are often used as cheap labor. >> they all said they want to go back as soon as possible. everybody has the responsibility. they, too, have the responsibility. we, too, have the responsibility to create the kind of country

that all our people can travel to whenever they wish to. >> for these factory workers to go back, burma's political reform will need to turn into jobs and economic growth. most here have decided to wait to see if the new opportunities due to arrive. -- and do all right. -- do arrive. >> whenever i go home i return to thailand because i get more money here. >> aung san suu kyi says there will be lots of jobs and we will need to go abroad like we do now. it will take time, but this trip is proof that progress has been made. >> you are watching bbc world news america. still to come, could independent bookstores be ready for a comeback? we show you why the old

fashioned storefront may have life in it after all. rescue workers have ended their search for survivors after a second earthquake killed 17 people and left 350 injured in northeast italy. survivors remain on edge due to the actor drops. there is fear of another -- the aftershocks. there is fear of another deadly trouble. -- a tremor. >> beneath this mountain of rubble they knew people were trapped in the factory after the collapse. the first, they found one body, then another, then a third. nobody survived the wreckage. all across the region, thousands have been forced from their homes, sometimes because of building is being damaged and sometimes because it is just too frightening to be inside while the of aftershocks continue. everyone is struggling to cope

with the impact of not one, but two or earthquakes, just nine days apart. >> i had a psychological breakdown. after so many aftershocks, how can we get anything started again? we are all devastated. >> evidence of the crushing tower of the quake is everywhere. often, it was the older, weaker buildings, historic churches and towers that suffered most, but many much newer structures did not cope well either. the task of assessing the damage across this region has only just begun. and in many places, the experts will have tough decisions to make as to which of these buildings can be saved and what buildings will have to be torn down. and everyone knows that even now after the double disaster, there are still dangers here. more aftershocks could bring down more of those badly weakened structures that are all

around. alan johnston, bbc news, northern italy. >> ernest hemingway once said there is no friend as loyal as a book. and in today's world, those pages are increasingly being turned on today's a electronic device. it is a trend that is defeating the large book chains. but could there be a revival of the independently owned bookshops? recently, our next guest spoke to us from her new store in nashville. >> two profitable but stores have closed. it is a no-brainer that somebody could open a small bookstore. at that time, i thought it is fine. it is my gift to the city. if we do not sell books, you know. i have to live in a city that has a bookstore. but we are doing very well.

people in communities woke up and said, hey, i really miss having a bookstore that i can take my kids to and i can see things, i can shop. >> i like to browse. i like to get my hands on things and look at stuff. >> he writes about the year 1968, and believe it or not, is a page turner. >> we have a brilliant staff of people who read. you can come into the bookstore and tell me the last book that you read and i can tell you three more books that you will love. amazon has an algorithm that says, you bought this book and other people bought this book. that is not the same thing is dealing with another human being. -- as dealing with another human being.

>> our youngest son, we could take him to the bookstore and when he found one and said, mom, i like this one, it was a done deal. >> with the advent of e-books and with the book not as an object, but a collection of information, i think what we are attracted to more and more are beautiful books. >> i really value the physical product, too. i have a candle as well and i enjoy it -- a kindle as well and i enjoy it, but i like books, too. >> i cannot imagine starting out right now as an author because the landscape is so different than when i was coming along. my entire adult life i've been going to independent bookstores. these are the people that took a

chance on me when i had a first novel, a second of all. no one knew why was. >> you can go in and sit down and build relationships with readers. you can meet them on line. but this is where we get this stuff. >> what i care about is that people read. just because a e-books are becoming popular does not mean that we should scooped the other books together in a pile and burn them. and there is a certain attitude that it is over. forget it. but it is not over. >> turning now to our top story, the continued violence in syria. the u.n. security council met today behind closed doors to discuss what options remain. among those in the meeting with

the british ambassador to the u.n. and he joins us now from the united nations. thank you for joining us, ambassador. do you get the sense that the u.n. is closer to consensus on what needs to be done on syria? >> i think there is a reasonable degree of consensus on certain elements. support for the kofi annan plan. the fact that we need to increase pressure on the government in syria in particular to abide by its resolutions it's made in previous agreements with the u.n. security council. but the question of what pressure can be put on the government, whether we can go to sanctions are other measures is to be seen in the next few days. certainly, we have seen that we do need to increase the pressure. most members of the council also believe that. otherwise, the kofi annan plan is in serious difficulty. >> given what we have seen in

syria over the last few days, the massacres in the east of the country and the killings, it is not over yet, is it? >> no, it is not over yet. we will hear from kofi annan next week in new york. he will brief us on the discussions in damascus. >> syria is not abiding by the cease-fire arrangement. >> no, it is not. and we laid the blame clearly at the door of the regime for that. and other efforts by the syrian government to pretend it was not responsible for the massacre in houla and elsewhere. but to avoid more bloodshed, the best path is the kofi annan plan. and while there is some chance of that bearing fruit -- and it maybe a small chance and i would not want to put it at a high

percentage, but nonetheless, there is still a chance. >> can you tell me what is happening in conversations at the u.n. with the russians? clearly, they are critical to this. do you get a sense they are shifting and are now prepared to put more pressure on bashar assad? >> we are in discussions here in new york and at the capitol. there have been a number of discussions. putin himself will be in paris and berlin later this week. the g-20 meeting is coming up, etc. there will be an intense time frame over the next two weeks with the russians to see what is possible and what is not possible. you are right, they are the ones who are the most influential on damascus and they are the ones that have been protecting the

regime from the sanctions. >> do you get the impression that the position of the regime is changing? >> there is go to work with the russians, but turning the general commitment to work with us on making the kofi annan plan work, getting a political dialogue and transition in the country, turning those into concrete steps is another matter. we will have to see if it works. >> thank you for joining us on the program. that does bring the show to a close. you can get updates on any of our stories, including syria, at our website at any time. you can find us on twitter. thanks for watching. i will see you tomorrow.

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